For The Bee's editorial to characterize the California Integrated Waste Management Board as existing merely for "patronage" does a dis- service not only to the board members but also to staff who have worked so diligently to protect California's fragile ecosystem.
It is also a disservice to the people of California who have furthered and benefited from historic recycling levels, cleaner communities and safer landfills – an accomplishment that has made our state the nation's leader in managing solid waste.
California generates a staggering 92 million tons of trash each year. Thanks to the efforts of the Integrated Waste Management Board and its local government and industry partners, more than 54 percent of that waste is recycled or diverted from our landfills – a far cry from the sparse 10 percent recycling rate when the board was created.
This has happened because we expanded the recycling revolution beyond just bottles and cans. Programs to reuse construction materials, scrap tires and organic wastes like wood and yard clippings are managed by the board. The board also oversees the nationally recognized electronic waste recycling program, which has kept millions of old computers, televisions and other electronic items from posing a hazard to the environment.
The board also protects the public health and safety by ensuring that landfills are held to the highest standards in the nation. Waste deposited into landfills can generate methane, which has a global warming potential 23 times greater than carbon dioxide. Thanks to the board's actions, more than 85 percent of active landfills capture that gas before it can escape into the atmosphere.
The board also plays a critical role in California's crisis-response efforts. Notably, it crafted what is now accepted as the national model in managing debris generated by natural disasters. The process the board created in response to the Angora fire last year, from agency coordination to cleanup to erosion control and much more, prevented further damage to the national jewel of Lake Tahoe, and protected homeowners and businesses.
I applaud the board's leadership, legislative and gubernatorial appointees alike, who have worked together and brought bipartisan solutions to our environmental challenges. The work of the board and its staff is an admirable reflection of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's commitment to protect our environment and the people of California.
Linda S. Adams, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, is responding to the Dec. 2 editorial "Waste board, and not in name only."
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